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 Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:12 am
Seide's small legs could not move fast enough. She went sprinting over the sands, sending grains and clouds in all directions. Her eyes stung from the carelessness of her movements, but she was losing herself to childish excitement for once in a very rare point in her life.
An had promised she'd take them to the deep red canyons today. There had to be all sorts of caves, monsters, giant lizards with poison tongues! In fact, in a place like that, the mystery would never end.
As usual, her sibling was on a sort of grounded status. What that meant, Seide wasn't sure as most of the time it seemed that An and her sister escaped and went romping around the lands with nothing of a care in the world for the true dangers that could swallow them up. In their old age, they may look back and wonder how they had not died.
For now, however, the young cub was worried about An showing up only. Waiting at the base of the dune they often met at, Seide called out loud, with lungs full of air.
"An! Aaan!"
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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:16 am
Grounded, as it turned out, was a bit of a subjective term. Running circles around mom was hard enough, but Ea was just as tricky and even twice as vindictive. Luckily however, she was also incredibly lazy. And with her paws full with Vlam, and Azar's extra help at the wards, An was able to sneak away without much protest. Usually she was pretty good to sticking to her schedules. She didn't mind helping Ea out. But if they were going to go investigate the western ridges, they'd have to leave early!
Looking over her shoulder just to be sure she wasn't being followed, An scampered off towards the meeting spot. She was running late, and hopefully Seide hadn't left without her. Luckily however, the sound of Seide's voice traveled far, particularly when it echoed off the cliffs. The blonde cub grinned mischievously, and hiked up the pace.
Dodging to the left, she took a small shortcut up a pile of rocks, and slid down a dune. She had all her paths mapped by now. She was a practiced escape artist; within just a few short months of life, she had almost every nook and cranny of their home thoroughly explored. Which was why the desert and the world outside were all the more interesting.
Another turn, and she was at the top of another dune. From here, she could see Seide below, and she finally could return Seide's call. "Over here!" An gleamed, skittering down the slope in a storm of dust and sand. Once she was level, she lept and gave her sister a playful pounce, slowing to a stop. "Alright! Looks like we're not being followed."
She looked off towards the west. "We've got a long walk ahead of us! But, I totally think we can be back before mom and dad even know it!"
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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:45 pm
At the sound of the familiar voice, Seide's eyes shifted their position from the right. Immediately, she had left a sitting posture and was taking a few steps forwards. Mouth slightly open, the edges curled into a smile, she shouted out an, "About time!"
The pounce was all in good fun and she rolled away from it, shaking dirt from her body as she hopped back onto her feet. In protest to having just been bested, she banged their shoulders together, but stifled the no-fair in her throat.
A quick check back over her shoulder to determine that An was indeed right, and Seide was all business. "I can take a long walk!" she explained, the determination evident in her voice.
If An could do it, she could do it. "Mom and Dad will never find out. I put my paw down and swear it." Even if they interrogated her, Seide was determined not to say a thing.
"We're going to find the biggest cave ever," Seide piped out and leapt into action, her paws taking a quick trot in the westward direction. An, of course, would have to lead the way, but Seide didn't mind starting the action earlier than later.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 6:49 pm
"Definitely!" An gleamed. She liked how Seide thought. The biggest cave ever...! Now that was a goal. She liked having a goal to focus on. "A cave so big, we pop out into another world...another pride!" Her face stretched into her token grin, and she began to walk backwards.
"A pride full of opposites. We'll have to fight them, of course. That's how it works in backwards cave worlds..." Her voice trailed off. She thought of these things on the spur, and it was hard to say if she even remembered them seconds after saying it. She hopped twice. "Of course, if we don't find that, a few monsters will have to do."
She righted her path and fell into stride with her sister, feeling the confidence of the pair flood around them. "When I heard about this place from Aunt No, she said it was where the rebel traditionalists camped. I wonder if anyone is still there..."
Her voice trailed off into mystery. "...So many things! We'll have to be prepared for all of them. They'll never expect that. So many adventurers get eaten 'cause they only think of one thing. That's why we're experts!"
She was always a fluctuating mixture of maturity and foolishness. Her eyes glittered, and she kicked up sand as she broke into a trot. "But first, a long walk! Too bad it's noon, not really the best time to travel. It'll be dark by the time we get back, but I already told mom we were spending the night helping Ea." She winked. "Aaaand, I told Ea we'd be helping mom."
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:07 pm
Appearing into another pride seemed like a monumental thing. The sort of thing that Aunt No did! That was probably how they defeated the rebels, a secret cave within their quarters. Someday, if she ever got a chance, she'd have to look it up and down and see. There had to be something.
"No opposite is going to get the best of me!" Seide exclaimed, pushing her head down and barreling through an invisible opponent before she pounced them in the sand. It was easy to imagine that this other lion was green, a bright green, looking very similar to her, their skills equally matched, but her own Firekin heart that much stronger. An was here, besides, how could they lose?
Voice dropped to a whisper as An fell into step, Seide's right ear was focused on her sister's words, but her eyes scanning the area for any sign of danger. The sound of the word traditionalists made her eyes go wide. There were a few stories from father and mother regarding them, and in many ways they seemed to be more dark myths filled with weakened Firekin and strong slaves ready to rebel any moment. It was so much better now, this way, when they worked for themselves and brought back their fierce determination.
"If they are there," Seide said, her voice strong, trying to impress An. "We'll give them a good wallop."
Laughing lightly, she followed her sister's suit, her legs skipping over the ground with enthusiasm. "You're brilliant, An!" was her answer. "They'll never figure it out."
Moto'Seide was about to find that long walk meant long walk. After a while, her trot broke off, and she fell a bit behind her sister, but always ran to catch back up.
But, even as she started to lose her breath, the scenery was changing. The sand started to thin, the ground hardening beneath her feet, and like the dunes, it towered, but there was a solidity here that she had not seen in so many other places.
Her mouth gaped open, and she shut it only after she'd tripped and noticed the grit had gotten in her teeth. A shudder worked its way down her spine, the light adrenaline of fear seeping through.
This was dangerous.
"Who's going in first?" she asked it a quiet whisper, pausing to look of into the distance and crouch low to get a better view of all angles.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:02 pm
"No way!" An smiled. "Opposites are always weaker. They're our opposites, after all. They'll be strong, and they'll be smart, but definitely not our betters. They live in a cave! If we got beat by something that lived their entire lives in some cave, I don't think we'd want to make it back." Or at least, An knew she wouldn't. "Only thing we got to remember is that we're the real ones! We should have a code word."
She paused for a moment. "But, I guess they'd know it too, wouldn't they? Tricky indeed!"
It was an interesting predicament, and it gave An something to think about over the walk. And a long walk it was. She kept her pace with sheer willpower, but the heat did take a toll on the young cub. Slowly, the sand twisted and became flat. Hotter, brighter. This was their playground, this burning inferno. But the two kept moving, and soon they reached their destination.
The cave in front of them was a dark mouth on the blinding horizon. Dangerous, yes. But she was eager to get out of the sun, and more then willing to lead the charge. "I'll go," An smiled, taking a step forward. "But, lets be careful. I'll go in and walk ten steps into the cave, and come back out. If I don't come back then...!"
She paused for dramatic effect. "I expect to be avenged!" She started to walk towards the cave. Halfway to it, she started walking backwards, the darkness of the cave sliding over her blonde form. "...See you in a sec!"
And then, she was gone.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:32 pm
There was a strong nod from Seide. An would know better. An could go first and be safe even if there was a monster lurking that ten steps into that dark pit. Looking at it now, Seide could almost see a pair of crazed, green eyes looking back at her. Squaring up her shoulders and puffing up her chest, she stared right back.
The pause in An's words were never missed and the 'expect to be avenged' was agreed with with a loud salute from her throat.
The seconds wore down, they seemed like hours. Tail thrashing two and fro, she watched. Nothing.
Usually a patient soul, when it came to danger, Moto'Seide lost her ease. Whether the ten steps had happened yet or not, the red cub could not tell.
Only one thing to do, trudge on in after her. With a brave leap forwards, Seide set off, her steps over-accentuated with each fall.
"For the Blood!" she shouted as she charged in after, head held high, hoping to meet An there and be victorious in their cave adventures.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:45 pm
She had heard the cave was deep. But she wasn't sure until those ten steps had faded into fifteen, and still she had not even begin to feel the flow of air stop. Unlike the canyon she had visited with her cousin Fia, there was no rank scent of death. No rats crawling underfoot. And yet... the stillness of the cave... there was something eerie about that. The hair on the end of her tail stood on end as she looked about, giving her best tactical appraisal of the cave.
It was cool. For most firekin, that was an unnatural feeling into itself. And damp. Two very unnatural conditions. The cave smelt faintly of... moss. If she had to guess. No animals living inside, which seemed strange. Preta had often mentioned how the creatures of the desert fought tooth and nail for prime real estate. And yet... somehow, this had been forgotten.
Her mouth opened. She was ready. Not realizing how long she'd lingered, she turned to give Seide the all-clear. But no sooner had she taken a gulp of air, did her sister's wild screaming break the silence of the cave. A moment later, her sister crashed into her, and An found herself face first onto the cool cave bottom.
An laughed, curling. "Hey! You can't avenge me if your the one that kills me-!"
Silence. For a moment, An listened to the sounds of their mixed laughter and yelling echo off the rocks. Echo, and slowly peel down the cave.
And then, just as faintly, another laughing voice answered back. It was deep, thick. Different from their own. An gasped and sat upwards, her ears flipping upwards. Her fur stood on end. "...that was most definitely not an echo!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 9:04 pm
At first, Seide was shocked, her body tensed up as she got ready for action. But her sister's voice came bouncing towards her, and no sooner had she stifled the snarl in her throat than she'd moved into the same laughing hysterics of her sister.
Their voices sounded so haunting in the dark enviroment, and the smell was fresh, wild, exciting. This was perhaps the best adventure they had been on yet. In her mind, Seide imagined whole worlds crammed into the damp enclosure. Eerie creatures born of the dark. Her heart raced.
Then the laughter started. Flattening her ears against her skull, Seide wheeled around to face the voice. The sound itself shook her eardrums from many locations and only the loudness from down the cave convinced her that it was from there the sound had come.
One ear still back in worry, the other swiveled forwards. Despite her determination to be brave, she was obviously lowered, her weight leaned back onto her hindquarters.
"What was that?" she hissed out just as her sister exclaimed that it was not an echo.
Turning her head to the right, she gave her sister a worried look and then stretched her neck, peering out into the darkness. Seide's mouth was dry. She licked her lips and slid one foot forwards, carefully listening for any sound as she did.
"Let's go quietly," Seide whispered to her sister as she took another slow step. The ground nearly touched her belly. If it was a monster, they could take it by surprise! Only the sound of her pounding heart told her she was still in reality.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:00 pm
An shifted. Instinctively, she bared her fangs. It was as much a warning as a reflexive action to her mind churning. Flashes. Monsters, lions. What evils lurked in the dark shadows? Whether her dreams were real or fantasy, the sound had an origin. Whatever it was knew they were there. Was it watching?
"I think its too late for quiet," An whispered. She supposed that was a bit hypocritical. Even though it must have known they were there, it was hard to keep a raised voice. "But we'll go slowly. I think whatever it is is not much further from here."
Keeping low, An fell into stride beside Seide; tiny paws against the cool rocks. She still couldn't get a good scent of anything. Something that became more and more perplexing the deeper they traveled. But by deeper- they had only gotten a good five feet from where they had started when suddenly the cave became alive with an echoing rumbling. It was an unnatural sound, loud- drolling. It started like a laugh and then twisted into some strange white noise. And then it ended.
It was frightening. Her fur was on end. But An had a precarious reaction to fear. The more frightened she got, the more downright confrontational she got. She turned the pounding in her chest into a dizzying mixture of adrenaline and euphoria. "Hey!" She suddenly yelled into the darkness of the cave. "Who is there? Some monster?"
For a moment, nothing sounded. Then, the sound of claws scraped against the rocks, and in what faint light the two cubs could make out in the shadows- something moved and retreated farther back into the cave. "HEY." An yelled. "You! Wait! We're firekin, cave monster! You can't just turn your back on-"
But, the monster was hauling a**. An looked over to Seide, and the inaudible question was asked.
Would they give chase?
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:21 pm
There was no time for logical thought when the rumbling began. Everything in Seide's body told her to scream as she coiled herself up and prepared to run. Only An's shoulder bumping against hers allowed her feet to stay rooted. Mouth hanging open, Moto'Seide pulled in a rasping breath and clenched her teeth. It was necessary to swallow the fear down, let it sit in her stomach, and put on a face that was ready for action.
It was her sister's yell that eventually got to her, and she leapt to the side as if it was An's voice that was the source of the terror.
But, the voice offered far more solace to her soul than she wanted to admit. Her posture began to straighten as no sound came back, and then the scraping and more yelling. By now the fear had subsided just enough to be firey excitement.
It was running from them.
By the time An looked over, Moto'Seide was already looking back. For a moment, hesitation, and then. . .
"HEY!" just like her sister had, and, "Get back here, you sad excuse for a coward!"
The leap forwards was probably the best she had ever completed in the course of her short life. Had she the time, she would have stopped to compliment herself. As it was, there was nothing now but to catch! Whatever it was.
There was a short glance to her sister to make sure that her sibling was following and then Seide had picked up the pace. Halls disappeared behind her feet faster than her mind could keep up, and she had to put on full brakes around bends to avoid from smacking into walls.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:51 pm
An grinned, even though the pounding in her ears was so loud now she could scarcely hear. The creature was running. It feared them. Or was it luring them back into the dark depths? She took off after Seide, and kept her head low. She wasn't sure, but with her sister at her side she felt confident that they could handle it either way.
The pair followed the slope of the cave. For the first few seconds the pounding noise of the beast in front of them seemed to be the only sound. But it was fast, and soon, they only had the echoes of it to follow. Claws, the sound of bulk crashing against rock. Just how far did this cave go? It was hard to tell if it was as long as it seemed, or if the excitement of the moment had simply made it feel longer. Her claws dug firmly into the rocks. She was ready- and judging by the intent in Seide's battle cry, she was too.
"He can't run forever!" She called to Seide.
Unfortunately, neither could they. Up ahead An heard a loud thump, like someone jumping. It was an odd noise that she didn't think anything of- until suddenly, her paws met with nothing but empty air. She grasped reflexively behind her- but the momentum of their run had propelled her over the hole. "...agh! That isn't playing fair!" She yelled even as they started to fall.
But the complaint suddenly fell into a yelp. Even An couldn't strangle a scream. That feeling. The feeling of the ground ripped from beneath her. Falling. Just how long was this hole anyways? But no sooner had she wondered, then did she plow face first into sand.
Bitterly, she coughed and spat it out. Up ahead, the low voice laughed, disappearing deeper from where it came.
The blonde cub scowled, and twitched her tail. "He thinks he's so smart. I bet this tunnel leads up eventually!" She yelled, her voice echoing upwards. But whatever the monster had been, it was gone now. "Then who is smart!?"
She strained her eyes in the darkness, and started to feel around. "Hey, Seide- you alright?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:05 am
An's calls to her were invigorating in the chase. It was more than obvious that the shared adrenaline sought to ramp up the adventerous pair even further. Seide certainly held no suspicions even with the strange thumping sounds within the dark, hollowed cave.
Hearing An's yelp, Seide's ears had gone back, but she did not think to put her feet into the ground and halt. Instead, her feet slid along the ground and then it fell from under her!
"An!" Seide called out as she spun in the air, trying to get her feet underneath her. Had there been light, it would have been easy to see her feet splaying out and waving madly the seconds before sand went everywhere.
As she came to a stop completely with a thud and a perfect print of her side in the sand, Seide was immediately aware of the grit her teeth and the grains touching her ears. Growling in angry distaste, and a bit of fear, she immediately went to shaking herself down and attempting to clean herself up.
Her sister's paw found her shortly thereafter. "I'm alright, I'm alright," she answered quickly, with a bit of a snap as she glared into the darkness - clearly she was more upset that someone had fooled her than she was injured.
Eyebrows pushed together and tail cracking in agitation, Seide put one foot firmly in the ground and attempted to look for the next course of action. "He won't get away with that! No one messes with us without getting a lesson or two in respect!" Her chest was puffed out, and the fur on her back stood on end.
But, eventually, reality set in and her temper cooled. Behind her, the tunnel stretched out and went around a bend, and in front of her, it seemed to mosey along like an old river with patience. The question became obvious as Seide swiveled around to look at both.
"Which way?"
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